


I can't think about anybody but you, sugar.

by supervicki



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College AU, F/M, Lab Partners, makogou, whoa i hope you enjoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-10
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-02-28 23:46:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2751626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supervicki/pseuds/supervicki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Multi-chapter fic. College Au. Makogou fluff intended. Enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Textbooks.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is the beginning of my new Makogou (Makoto x Gou) fic that's going to be a multi-chapter one. It's basically a college AU kind of story; they don't know each other and all that jazz. So, I hope you like this and stick around for the rest of the fic :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

"I can't believe that we're not taking Anatomy together!"

"Chill, we're taking three other classes together and we live in the same dorm room. It's just one class."

"Yeah, Gou, but why did you have to schedule a night class for yours?"

"Chigusa, I already went over this: One, the name is Kou and two, I got that work-study job at the cashier office, remember? On the days I have to work there, I have to have my classes at night."

Chigusa, with chestnut hair pulled up in a bun, whined on her twin bed across from Gou in their dorm room. It was the beginning of their freshman year at Tokyo University and the girls have been inseparable since the end of their middle school days. They made sure that they shared the same dorm room together and have the same classes as well. But Gou was able to receive a part-time job as a work-study student at the University's cashier office. Because of that, Gou has to take classes on the days she has to work, which will only be her Anatomy class.

"Please, Gou, I've known you for so long that I honestly don't care. Your name will always be Gou to me." Chigusa said, laying down and facing Gou.

Gou released a sigh and got up from her seat on her bed, putting on her jacket. "Whatever, Chigusa. Make sure you eat dinner at an appropriate time, okay? We have a 15 minute break in my class and that's how I'm gonna scarf my face with a sandwich." She pats her backpack and then placed it on her back. "Don't wait up for me either. You need sleep too."

"Ugh, okay,  _mom."_

Gou shot a look at her, crossing her arms. "Whatever, you know I tell you this because I care about you."

Chigusa giggled. "Of course I know. My sass is a term of endearment, if you will. So, I love you!"

Gou rolled her eyes. "Oh god, love you too. I'll see you later." She said, walking out her shared dorm room.

* * *

After a long day at her part-time job, Gou just wanted to throw herself on her bed and put herself in a coma.  _It's not even finals yet and I'm already stressed. Why did I take this job?_ She shook her head from her wandering thoughts and walked faster to her upcoming anatomy class. She wanted to get there on time to get a good seat and hopefully get a decent lab partner.

It took her 10 minutes to walk across campus to her destination, huffing from her quick pacing to make it on time. She grabbed her water bottle and took a big gulp before putting it away and heading to the second floor of the science building, where her anatomy class awaits. Once she got there, Gou almost smacked herself in the head for not being on time. In the classroom, every spot was filled by every student except for one blacktop table in the far back of the classroom. Coincidentally, that table was occupied by one student, an olive-haired young man, while the rest of tables were filled with two partners each.

"Ahem, take a seat please."

A voice from behind her startled her. She quickly dashed towards the last open seat, catching the eye of her partner when she took her seat next to him. He couldn't help but chuckle at her frantic state when she sat next to him.

"Good morning class. My name is Professor Izumi and welcome to my anatomy course. The person sitting next to you will be your partner for the rest of the year, so I'll have you all do your greetings in a few minutes. Right now, I will do roll call."

After a quiet and awkward roll call, Professor Izumi had everyone get to know each other, briefly in two minutes, before he started class. Gou released a sigh and turned to her left to face the olive-haired boy sitting next to her. When she made eye contact with him, her words turned to mush.  _Shit, he's gorgeous! And I probably embarrassed myself enough for him to think I'm weird. Oh my god, look at his muscles, he's so huge and ripped, aughhh, focus Gou!_ He gave her a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Makoto Tachibana. I hope you take care of me for the year."

"Oh I will—gah, my name is Gou Matsuoka and I hope you take care of me as well!" Gou blurted out, her cheeks turning red. Makoto suddenly started laughing, trying hard not to be loud enough to disturb the class. "What's so funny?"

"Oh gosh, okay two things. One, your face is as red as your hair and two, we both have names that are for different genders, respectfully. It's just refreshing to know someone that deals with the same kind of stuff I do, you know?"

Gou huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I'm glad I gave you a great laugh for today."

Makoto placed his hands in front of him in surrender. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just couldn't help it!" He turned in his seat to face her more. "So tell me, Gou-chan, what year are you and what are you studying for?"

"Gou-chan? Already? You're quick."

"My goodness, just answer the question."

"Fine! I'm a first year and I'm studying sports therapy. Your turn."

Makoto chuckled. "No need for the hostility, Gou-chan. I'm a second year and I'm studying to be a teacher, specifically being a swimming instructor for kids."

Gou's eyebrow quirked up. "Wow, so I take it you swim yourself?"

"Of course. I was in swim club all my life, but I didn't really want to become a professional. After a small gig from the local swim club in my town, I fell in love with teaching children how to swim. It just makes me happy how much I helped them."

 _Oh god, why's he so perfect._  "That's actually really awesome, Makoto. Good for you."

"Thank you, Gou-chan. So, why did you decide to go in sports therapy?"

"I, well—"

Professor Izumi cleared his throat. "Okay, quiet everyone. Time to start class." Every student halted their tongue and sat in silence, waiting on the professor's instructions. "Alright, I will pass out the textbooks for each student." Professor Izumi went back and forth passing a textbook to each student until he reached the last tables, which consisted of Makoto and Gou. "Uh, that's strange. Well, looks like you both have to share this textbook, if that's okay with you two. If not, I can see if I can order another one—"

"It's okay, Professor Izumi. We can share, if that's okay with Matsuoka-san?" Makoto interrupted, looking towards Gou.

She was about to gasp, but held her tongue.  _So in front of people, I'm Matsuoka-san? Well, at least he's being polite._  She cleared her throat. "No, that's okay; I don't mind sharing, Professor."

Professor Izumi nodded his head. "Good, good."

After forty five minutes of lecture, break was let out before the students came back for another forty five minutes of more lecture. Gou sat at her desk and pulled out her sandwich from her backpack, making sure to eat as soon as possible.

"So Gou-chan, should we schedule different times for us to take the textbook back home with us? Like you take it first then the next day of class I take it home?"

Gou swallowed a bite of her sandwich. "That actually sounds good. And when we have upcoming tests, we can study together to make it easier."

It was like Makoto was smiling with his eyes, his grin had Gou smiling too; his smiles were that contagious. "That's a great idea, Gou-chan! So how about it, you take the textbook home with you first?"

Gou finished up her sandwich, dusting her hands together to get rid of crumbs. "I love your chivalry, I do, but you don't have to be so polite into letting me take it first."

This caught Makoto off guard. "But Gou-chan, I insist."

Gou sighed and faced Makoto. "Okay, I think there's only one solution to this." She propped up her arm on her table. "We have to arm wrestle."

Makoto just stared at her deadpanned. "Gou-chan, you know I will beat you, even if I wasn't a male." He flexed his arm to show her.

"Ugh, you're right. Oh! Do you have a coin?"

He fished out a coin from his pocket. "I sure do. I call heads, you tails?" Gou nodded her head in affirmation. He flipped the coin, causing it to land on the desk. They both leaned forward to see the result. "It's heads."

"See? Fair and square."

Makoto chuckled. "Right, definitely fair and square. I'll bring it back to you next class, which will be Thursday."

About an hour later, class was released. Makoto and Gou exchanged their goodbyes and then Gou headed back to her dorm. Once she walked in her dorm, her eyes popped out. Chigusa lying on the floor, face first. Gou ran to her. "Chigusa! What happened? Are you okay?!" She carefully flipped her over so she can see her face.

Chigusa groaned. "Gouuuuuu."

"What is it? What's wrong?!"

"Gouuuuuu, I'm starving." Gou rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a protein bar, before shoving it into Chigusa's mouth. "What the hell, Gou?! You almost killed me!"

Gou stood up from her spot and headed to her closet. "Don't even start, Chigusa. You scared me half to death."

"Oh come on, it was just a joke."

"It's not a joke when that's exactly how I found my mom!" Gou whipped her head back to Chigusa, her tear-filled eyes glaring at her.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. I really sorry, I completely forgot. I just, I'm an idiot." Chigusa walked up and enveloped Gou in a comforting hug. "I didn't mean it, I'm so sorry."

Gou smacked her face, getting rid of the rest of tears forcefully. "No, it's fine. It's been a few years already." She leaned back and patted Chigusa on the shoulder. "It's alright."

Gou took out her pajamas and started changing while Chigusa awkwardly sat on her bed. "So, how was class today?"

"Good. I met a boy."

Chigusa instantly beamed. "A boy? Give me the details, hon!"

Gou rolled her eyes. "Chigusa, it's no big deal, he's just my lab partner."

"Whatever, he could be the one."

"The one what? It's nothing. Now drop it and go to bed."

* * *

"So I take it you're not a night person?" Makoto's voice rang on Gou's left side. She was currently laying her head on her desk when Makoto came up and sat beside her before the break for Anatomy was over. She switched sides to look up at Makoto's curious gaze beside her.

"Nor am I a morning person." She groaned. She sat back up and stretched her arms in front of her. "Sorry, I'm just tired from my job this morning."

"If you don't mind me asking, what job do you do?" Makoto queried.

"I am a work-study student in the cashier's office. We deal with student payments and refunds, so we usually get the nasty kids. 'I want my money now' or 'it's this much for classes' is what I get all the time and usually they are not the kindest. That's why we have a bulletproof window when speaking to students."

Makoto gulped. "B-bulletproof?"

Gou nodded nonchalantly. "Yep, it's mostly for people that want to hit us. It's all good, I'm safe. I just dealt with a lot of rude students this morning and that's why I'm exhausted."

"I see. I'm sorry you had to deal with all of that. If it makes you feel any better, I can take notes for you so you won't strain your eyes."

"Oh, Makoto, you don't have to, really. I need to pay attention and I don't want to burden you. It's all good, so don't worry." Gou said, giving him a soft smile.

Makoto tilted his head to the side. "Okay, if you say so. Just don't push yourself too hard now."

Gou rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, really."

Before Makoto could say anymore, he was cut off by the professor's voice announcing the end of their break to start the rest of lecture.

* * *

While the professor was going over his lecture, Makoto glanced from his notes and checked on Gou. He couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment. Gou was fast asleep with her hand supporting her head from falling to the side. He grinned at her before turning back to his notes.  _She owes me later on._ He quickly took out another piece of paper to copy what he already had on his note page and continued copying down notes for two.

* * *

"Gou, wake up. Come on." Gou felt a nudge on her shoulder before opening her eyes. She was met with Makoto's emerald-colored eyes facing her own.

"Oh god, I'm sorry." She said, quickly sitting up in her seat. Class had just dismissed and students were busy putting their stuff away in their backpacks. "Was I out the whole time?" she asked Makoto.

He nodded and chuckled. "Yep. It's no problem, just try not to do it again. Here, today is your turn for the textbook." He passed the book to Gou, their fingers touching slightly. He gave her a warm smile. "Make sure to catch up on chapter 2, okay?"

Gou gave him a smile back. "Thank you. Are you sure you don't need it over the weekend?"

"Nope, I think I got everything I need for now. See you next Tuesday." Makoto waved then left with the rest of the students.

Gou looked back down at the textbook in her hand and opened it up to chapter 2. "Well I'll be damned." There in the textbook were the notes for today and a little scribble at the bottom of the page that said: "I told you so." Makoto signed his name and wrote his number for Gou. "That little…"

She left the classroom with the biggest grin on her face. "Chigusa is going to have a kick out of this."


	2. Kitten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you for the feedback of this new fic, it's honestly really fun to write. Here's a new chapter and I can't wait to work on the next one for you all!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

"Did I really do that? Oh my god, I did. I did, I did. How did I actually do that?"

Makoto continued to question himself while walking back to his apartment, holding his red-tinted face.

"I can't believe I gave her my number. Will she even call me? Text me? Oh god."

He fiddled around with his keys to get a good grip, trying to unlock his front door. "Oh god, Oh god."

Before he could place his keys in the keyhole, the door swung open. "Makoto. I can hear you coming down the hallway, what happened?" His best friend and roommate Haruka opened the door for Makoto and stared at him with an unamused gaze.

"Oh Haru! How can I do such a thing?! I've never done—are you wearing your apron over your swimsuit again?" Makoto glanced at Haru, whom was wearing such and holding a ladle. Haru grunted and turned to walk back to the kitchen. "Wha, sorry, Haru! I mean, I know you're working towards being a pro-swimmer, but it's starting to get a little chilly out." He finished his sentence while closing the front door.

Makoto heard Haru's remark from the kitchen. "So?"

Makoto sighed, taking off his shoes at the front door. "Never mind, Haru."

"Are you going to tell me what happened or not?"

"I, uh, gave a girl in my class my cell number."

What followed was a clang from the kitchen, startling Makoto. He ran over to the opening of the kitchen and noticed Haru staring wide-eyed at the ladle he dropped on the ground. Haru glanced up at Makoto.

"What is it, Haru? You okay?" Makoto asked concerned.

"I'm just so proud of you." Haru said in his stoic voice, but surprisingly with a smile on his face.

Makoto gawked at Haru before saying, "I'm leaving." He shifted his stance and headed to his room.

"Let me know when she calls you." Haru raised his voice enough for Makoto to hear him from a distance. "If she does."

"Haha, so funny." Makoto rolled his eyes and started changing out of his clothes into something comfortable. _I really hope she does. Eventually, I guess. Oh lord, how did I get the courage to do that…?_

* * *

A month and a half had passed and Makoto still didn't receive anything from Gou. However, he still talks to her before and after class and especially during the break time. Makoto also walks her half ways to her dorm so she can arrive safely. Part of him didn't want to press on the subject if she's seen the message where he left his number or not but he really wanted to know.

After the professor dismissed the class on Thursday, everyone packed up their bags.

"So your roommate was scouted? Wow, he must be a really good swimmer. You know, my brother is working to become a pro-swimmer too." Gou told Makoto while placing her backpack on her back. During the past month and a half, they began to learn more about each other.

"Your brother? Does he go to school here too?" Makoto inquired.

"My onii-chan? No, he's in Australia. He's studied abroad over there for years but I do see him time to time, especially for the holidays." Makoto and Gou had made it outside and were walking towards her dorm. "Now that he's an adult, onii-chan talks to my mom and me more, catching up on how we are doing and stuff. During his teenage days, he had a lot of attitude and didn't want to talk to anyone. I want to think it was because he was acting like a teenage boy but I honestly think he hit a wall and lost his ambition in swimming."

"How could you tell?"

"I dunno. When we were growing up, he used to talk about how much he loved swimming and how he wanted to pursue our father's dream. He was very adamant about that. But a few years after he was over in Australia, we stopped hearing from him. When we tried to call him, but he was very moody and brash; my mom and I were worried about him. A year after that, I guess he got his spark back and was calling us back home more often. When he finally came home to visit, we were all emotional; I swear we were a mess." Gou chuckled. "Eventually, we became a family again. That's the best feeling of all."

"I'm glad things worked out, Gou. I'm really glad." Makoto said, giving Gou a heart-warm smile.

Gou glanced at Makoto. "Thank you, Makoto. Really. Oh, this is our stop. Thanks again for walking me all the way over here. You honestly don't need to, you know."

"No need to worry. I want to, just to make sure you're safe." He gave her one last smile. "See you next week, Gou."

"Bye! Be safe!" Gou called out to him. Makoto answered with a wave of his hand and walked the opposite way back to his apartment.

* * *

"I wonder if I should gather up the courage again to ask her if she saw my number. Should I? Or am I too pushy if I do that…" Makoto spoke to himself, trying to figure out something while ten minutes of walking to his apartment had passed. Suddenly, he heard a ring coming from his pocket. Makoto pulled out his cell phone and was surprised to see an unknown caller calling him. He hesitantly answered, "Uh, hello?"

"Makoto?" he heard a familiar voice from the other line. "It's Gou. I, um, have a favor to ask you. Is it too much trouble for you to come back to my dorm?"

Makoto's heart leapt up in his throat. "Oh, no, it's no problem at all! I actually haven't even reached my apartment yet. I should be there in ten minutes, okay?"

He heard Gou's bubbly laughter in his ear. "No worries. See you then." She said before hanging up.

_I wonder what she needs. Okay, keep it together, Makoto._ He quickly turned around and fast-paced back to Gou's dorm house. If she asked, he was actually five minutes away and that's why he got there faster. When in actuality, he ran for his life to Gou's place. If, and only if, she asks. Especially why he's winded and trying to catch his breath from running. He'll just say he has asthma; it'll be believable.

When he reached Gou's dorm, she was standing out front holding something in her arms. "Hey, Makoto. Sorry to ask you to come back over here after you just left."

He swallowed. "No, no, it's no problem. So what do you need help with?"

Gou furrowed her eyebrows. "Do you think you can help me sneak him in?" She pointed down in her arms.

Makoto curiously looked at what she was holding and gasped. It was a small black kitten, skinny to the bone.

"Please help me sneak him in? I couldn't leave him out here; he needs a home really bad."

The kitten meowed and rubbed his head against her chest. Makoto asked, "Where did you find him?"

"In a bush near the dorm. I heard it crying and couldn't just leave it. I mean, look at his face!" She picked up the kitten and cooed at him at eye level. "You're so cute, I can't leave you alone!"

The kitten began to purr and nuzzled his face into Gou's cheek.

Makoto grinned. "I guess you're right. I wouldn't want to leave him by himself. It just feels wrong." He stretched a hand out and started petting the kitten on the head. The kitten purred more and nuzzled Makoto's hand. "He likes me."

"I mean, who wouldn't."

Makoto blinked. "What?"

Gou's face flushed. "Uh, I mean-let's figure out how to get him in my dorm room." She awkwardly shuffled away, turning around to signal Makoto to follow her. She led him around the dorm house, all the way to the back of it and stopped. Gou held the kitten to her chest with her left hand while she use her other one to point to a window on the second floor. "That's my dorm room up there. I, uh, hope you don't mind but do you think you can give me a lift, Makoto?" She asked, pleading with her big, ruby eyes.

Makoto glanced between the eyes of Gou and the kitten, both longingly staring at him. Makoto then shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?"

Gou's eyes beamed with delight. "Thank you so much, Makoto! I definitely owe you one! Okay, do you think you can crouch down in front of the wall so I can stand on your shoulders?"

Makoto smiled and did what Gou instructed.

Before Gou walked over to Makoto's hunched posture, she gently placed the kitten in her backpack. "You'll be safe in here, little guy." After placing her backpack on her back, Gou carefully, with the support of the brick wall, climbed on top of Makoto's back on his shoulders. She looked down, eyebrows scrunched in worry. "I'm not heavy, am I?"

Makoto chuckled. "Hardly. Keep going, Gou-chan, you're almost there."

Using her strength, Gou slowly stood on Makoto's shoulders, still using the wall to steady herself. She heard Makoto's voice below her. "You ready for the scary part, Gou?"

"Wait, what?"

Suddenly, Gou's sense of balance heightened when Makoto stood up from his crouched position. She squealed from the surprise height, grasping her hands on the brick wall.

"Don't worry, Gou! I got you!" Makoto hollered, holding her ankles for support, and his case, protection.

Gou steadied her breathing. "Uh-ahh, t-thanks, Makoto!" She blurted out. Gou looked up at her dorm window and saw Chigusa staring at her incredulously. Since the window was closed, Gou couldn't hear Chigusa's animated face. Gou shook her head and pointing to her ear, indicating she couldn't hear her. Chigusa rolled her eyes, pulled out a scratch piece of paper and pen, scribbling something quickly before placing it against the screen:

**The RA has alarm on window, moron!**

Gou's face twisted in annoyance. "That little bitc-ackk!" She suddenly lost her footing on Makoto's shoulders. Just when she thought she was going to crash to the ground, Gou felt two strong arms catch her in time. "Oof!"

"Ahh, that was close. Are you alright, Gou?" Gou looked up at Makoto's concerned face, her cheeks heating up after realizing how close she was to him.

She quickly hopped out of Makoto's arms. "Oh, I am super okay! Thank you for catching me, Makoto. That would've been a nasty fall, am I right?" Gou awkwardly talked fast, dusting off her arms and legs.

Makoto covered his mouth to keep his laughter from escaping.  _She is too cute._ He quickly cleared his throat. "So, what exactly happened up there?"

"Huh?" Gou was checking on the kitten in her backpack, pleased to know it was safe. "Oh, my roommate Chigusa told me I couldn't open the window because our RA is super strict. Gotta resort to plan B."

Makoto tilted his head. "What do you have for plan B?"

* * *

Makoto looked at Gou bug-eyed. "This isn't going to work, Gou."

Gou gave him a wry grin. "Oh, I think it will."

Makoto sighed. "You owe me big time."

"Don't worry; I'm positive this will be full proof. And yes, ask me anything you want after we're finished, okay?"

Makoto nodded at her. "Alright, wish me luck." He then began walking inside the dorm house to a certain someone. Gou's next plan consisted of Makoto distracting the Resident Advisor, her name is Saeko, and Gou would sneak inside with the kitten in her backpack. Gou watched Makoto hesitantly walk inside and looked around for Saeko's room, which is the first room on the first floor; that way she can hear anyone sneak past. Saeko was a tactless girl; junior at the university and a straight A, on time student. Chigusa found out she doesn't go out as much and doesn't have enough friends; Chigusa figured that's why she's so strict being the R.A. Gou actually felt bad for her but it went away when Saeko didn't let Gou use the restroom late at night. Four times. Gou already had too many things on her mind to even bother to report her; she would run outside to the woods to piss and then run back up the stairs, in which Saeko would yell her to walk. That's why Gou decided to get Makoto to distract her; she'll probably be distracted from how handsome he is and his muscles...  _No, Gou, that's only you. Control yourself, dear lord. Oh, I hope Makoto can do it._

Makoto walked carefully to Saeko's door and brought up a hand to knock. Before Makoto could make a fist to knock, the door swung open. A girl with short dark hair and black-rimmed glasses answered. "You don't belong here." She said deadpanned.

Makoto blinked, surprised that she answered unexpectedly. "Uh, hi, I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"There shouldn't be any parties here or any males here." She stoically said, peering at Makoto through pursed eyes.

"No, no, I wanted to know if Kusanagi Saeko lived here."

Saeko was literally shooting daggers at Makoto. "Why do you want to know?"

Makoto shifted his feet. "Well, I wanted to talk to her about her thesis. I'm a biology major and I was fascinated of what she wrote."

Saeko's eyes grew wide. "What? Are-are you serious?"

_The things I do for people. So glad Nagisa taught me how to lie. Otherwise I'd be a blubbering mess._ He gave her a warm smile. "Of course I am. Are you able to help me find her?"

Her face grew wild-eyed. "Oh yes, yes! That's actually me! I'm Saeko Kusanagi! Please come in, come in!" She stood back so Makoto can come inside her room.

He almost panicked but kept up his facade. "Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Saeko giggled uncontrollably. "Oh stop. Please come in."

Before Makoto waltzed inside, he brought his hand behind his back and gave a thumbs-up, signaling Gou from outside the front window where she was hiding.

Gou noticed and nodded.  _I so owe Makoto my life. I mean, he didn't have to go out of his way like that to help me. He's so great._ Gou stooped low and practically crawled to front door. She carefully tiptoed past Saeko's door until she unexpectedly heard a loud sneeze from behind it. Gou jumped from the loudness of the sneeze. Before she could quicken her steps, Saeko's door busted open. "Ms. Matsuoka, do you by any chance have a cat?"

Gou slowly turned around and her eyes widened. Saeko's nose was rosy red and she was scratching her arms. She can see Makoto peer out of the door, mouthing an apology to her. "No..."

Saeko's eyebrows furrowed. "Ms. Matsuoka, I know you're lying. I'm extremely allergic to cats. If you have one, may I ask you to take it out of here immediately? I don't want to take out my epi-pen yet." She said sternly, sniffling.

Gou stood there speechless. "I, uh, okay. I'll go now..." Her face was blank when she turned back towards the door, shuffling her feet slowly. Once she was out the front door of the dorm, Saeko turned to face Makoto.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry about that. I think we're going to have to take this another day." She leaned forward and slipped something in Makoto's pocket seductively. "Here's my number so we can go over my thesis."

Makoto awkwardly chuckled. "Th-thank you so much for your time." He bowed then waved. "I'll see you."

Saeko watched him go. "Oh my..." She gazed at him dreamingly until she had to sneeze suddenly.

* * *

Makoto walked out of the dorm house, bewildered. "That was so weird." He said to himself.

"Makoto! Pssst!" He heard Gou call out to him from the bushes.

Makoto raised an eyebrow, laughing. "Do you live in the bushes too?"

Gou scowled. "Whatever!" She slumped her shoulders. "I guess this plan failed too. I'm so sorry, Jiji." She glanced behind her back.

Makoto's emerald eyes stared at Gou sympathetically. Suddenly, his eyes glistened in delight. He walked behind Gou and opened up her backpack, carefully prying the kitten out of the bag. "Well, Jiji, I think it's time for plan C."

Gou peered at Makoto. "What are you talking about?"

"That plan C is Jiji will live with me." Makoto said, scratching Jiji behind the ears. Jiji purred and cuddled into Makoto's giant hand. "See? He's happy about it."

Gou's expression was vacant. "But Makoto... You don't have to do that. You already had done so much."

Makoto stopped his actions and stared at her, a pleasant smile on his face. "I want to. Poor Jiji needs a home and this may be the only solution. I love cats and my roommate doesn't mind it. Plus our apartment allows pets. It's basically a win-win."

Gou stared at him deadpanned. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I want to. He needs a home and you can visit him anytime."

Gou's eyes watered up. "Makoto, I really can't believe this. Thank you, thank you so freaking much!" She wiped her eyes and grinned. "I owe you so much. Tell me whatever you want, really!"

Makoto tilted his head in wonder. "Hmm..." Then a coy smile graced his face. "A date."

Gou's face went blank. "What?"

"Go on a date with me."

Her cheeks began to flush. "I, why-, uh..." She stammered. Gou paused then took a deep breath. "S-sure. I'd love to."

"Saturday night? At 6? I'll pick you up." Makoto offered, smiling at her reaction.

"Yes, that's perfect. I got to go now...thank you again, Makoto, really."

"No problem, Gou-chan. Have a good night."

"You too." She quickly walked back inside the dorm house, leaving Makoto and the kitten alone.

He didn't move from his spot after seconds had passed. Suddenly, his face flushed beet-red and he started to stutter. "D-did I seriously just do that?!" He questioned aloud. Then he looked down at the kitten in his arms. "Y-you saw that right, Jiji?"

The kitten just tilted his head in wonder and meowed.

Makoto chuckled to himself. "Right. Cats don't talk. Oh god, how am I going to explain you to Haru?"

* * *

"So you managed to ask her out but got a cat in the process?"

Makoto carried Jiji in his arms and smiled nervously. "Ye-yeah. Funny how that happened, huh?"

Haru just stood there, shooting glares between Makoto and Jiji. Then he sighed. "You're taking care of it, not me."

"Got it. Don't worry, Haru."

"If I find him in the tub, it's out."

"Understood."

Haru continued to stare at Makoto. "Even though it was unnecessary what you did, you managed to ask her out. Congrats."

Makoto grinned. "Thanks, Haru."

Haru nodded then turned around to head back to his room. "Your cat just pissed on your shirt."

Makoto leapt in his spot, holding the cat away from his chest. "What?! Aww, man... What do I do?"

"Not my problem, lover boy." Haru said before shutting his bedroom door.

"Ah, Haru!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to name the kitten after Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service. It was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid and I finally got it for Christmas! Haha, well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Let me know what you think! :)


	3. Vending Machines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm so sorry how long overdue this and my other fic is. Hello everyone! I'm alive, I'm sorry for updating so late. I just started uni (I transferred) and everything is so hard to get used to, plus I have work and stuff at home. But I promise I will update as soon as I can and finish the last chapter of High Tides. I got so much ideas for this one fic, so don't worry, you'll love it. I hope you like this filler chapter (again sorry).
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club/Eternal Summer.

"It's about damn time you got here. How did you forget that Saeko has that alarm thing on the windows? I mean, how?"

Chigusa was sitting on her bed, scolding Gou when she walked through the door. Chigusa didn't even bother to look at Gou's distant face, just continued to scold her while rolling her eyes.

"It was like the first thing you said when we were unpacking. I mean, I applaud you for having a plan and getting that guy Makoto to help, which who must be gigantically tall to be able to pick you up like that. Man, I wish I could've seen him. I was too busy trying to get your attention. You got anything thing to say, Gou-hey, what's wrong?" Chigusa voice faltered when she finally glanced at Gou. Gou was laid flat on her bed, staring at the ceiling with vacant eyes. "Gou? Are you okay?"

Gou blinked multiple times. "F-far from okay. I'm ecstatic." She whispered.

Chigusa scrunched her eyebrows. "Huh? Your body language is contradicting what you're telling me."

Then Gou sat up with a goofy grin on her face. "Both plans failed but Makoto offered to take the kitten in..."

"Oh my gosh, really?! That's great!"

"...and he asked me out on a date on Saturday."

"GOU!"

Gou backed against the wall, startled from Chigusa's outburst. "What?"

Chigusa jumped from her bed, bounded in front of Gou and took her hands into her own. "This is amazing, Gou! I'm so happy for you!"

Gou giggled. "Chigusa, please it's not that big of a deal."

"Nuh uh, it's a huge deal! I mean this is basically you're first real date, right?"

Gou rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Chigusa; say it louder so the whole dorm house can hear."

"No, I'm serious! This may be the one! Sure, start out slow and stuff but come on, Gou. I think this is amazing and perfect for you. It'll get over your childhood crush on Sou-"

"Stop! That ship has sailed, thank you very much." Gou sighed. "Definitely sailed a long time ago. It's okay though, I'm over that now."

Chigusa nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Plus, from what you told me, Makoto has better muscles than him."

Gou tilted her head and tapped her chin with her index finger. "Hmm... They both got good muscles... It's a tie."

"Wow, that's a huge step."

"I know, huh?"

Chigusa and Gou suddenly laughed from their conversation, lying down side by side on Gou's bed.

Gou released a breath. "He's pretty amazing though."

"Who?"

"Makoto. But we just met though."

"So? Lots of couples met in college and have been together ever since. Or this will be a beautiful fling. Whatever it is, you deserve to be happy. Especially now."

"Yeah. You're actually right. When do you think I should tell him about my mom?"

Chigusa hooked arms with Gou. "When the time comes, you'll know. However, becoming a couple is the first step to that, though."

Gou chuckled. "Right, right. You're gonna have to help me find an outfit Saturday."

Chigusa sat up. "Say no more, I already have an outfit in mind AND how to fix your hair."

Gou groaned. "Really? My hair? Don't tell me you're going to do my makeup?"

Chigusa nodded. "Of course, what are best friends for?"

"Fine. Just not too extravagant. I don't like wearing all that goop."

"Please, Gou. You'll thank me."

* * *

The next day, Gou had a grueling day at her job. It was a Friday, so they closed early and she didn't have a class that day. However, it didn't mean the students Gou dealt with weren't less overbearing. It was the middle of the semester and students were relentless on the question of where were their refunds. Gou practically thanked the lord that she was surrounded by bulletproof glass. Students can get testy when they don't have their money. Not like there was an incident where someone brought a gun, but multiple times of people wanting to hurt the cashiers with their hands. It's terrifying, yes, but at the end of the day everything works out.

Gou was the only one working that day, which had her closing by herself. Once it was 3:55 pm, Gou began to balance her drawer and pack up. Once it hit 4 o'clock, she brought down the gate and left the office.

_I can't wait to crawl into bed and sleep. These students are getting to me..._  She looked around the hallway and noticed how empty it was.  _Huh, I guess everyone went home already. Geez. Oh, I'm really thirsty._ Gou walked to the vending machine that was at the end of the hallway and rummaged through her backpack for change.  _Hmm, soda is 600 yen, let's see..._  She brought out the change, placed it in the coin slot, and selected her choice.  _Gimme the soda, gimme._ * **CLUNK*** _What…_

Gou's soda that was on the way to her awaiting hand got stuck halfway down. Gou groaned out loud, "Nooooo, I want my soda!" She kneeled down in front of the opening slot to purchases. "I'm gonna have to get it myself!" Gou reached her right hand in the slot and stretched it as far as she could go. "Almost there… I think I got—Ah! I got it!" She had the soda can in her hand. "Now, time to get my drink—oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit." Gou tried bringing her arm back out, but she ended up stuck. "No, you can't be serious!" She whined out, trying hard to pull herself free.

"Uh, need any help?" she heard a voice from behind her. Gou turned her head and looked up at the source. Her tense face relaxed when she realized it was Makoto. She blushed inwardly when she realized he was wearing sweats, a t-shirt, and his glasses.  _He needs to wear his glasses more often, oh my god._

"Thank goodness you're here, Makoto! I, uh, wow this is hard to explain." Gou awkwardly chuckled. "You always end up bailing me out of trouble, huh?"

Makoto grinned and kneeled down next to Gou. "No worries, really. You're just very accident prone."

Gou huffed. "Well, that makes me feel better." She said sarcastically.

"If anything, it makes you cuter."

Gou's head flew up in surprise. "What?"

"What? Uh, let-let's get you out of here." Makoto flushed, clumsily trying to pull Gou's arm out. Gou winced from sudden pain. "Man, you're sure stuck in here all right, does it hurt a lot?"

Gou shook her head. "Not that much but when you pulled on my arm, it suddenly hurt."

Makoto bowed his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"Don't worry, Makoto. If anything, I deserve it because I was such a klutz getting myself stuck in this situation." Gou said, giggling. "Seriously, it's not your fault. So, what were you doing here in this building?"

"Uh, I needed to talk to my advisor about internship ideas but I guess I was too late."

"Yeah, we close at 4 on Fridays because we all want to go home." Gou answered with a smile.

Makoto chuckled. Suddenly, he reached further in the vending machine slot and pried Gou's arm out more. "I think I'm almost there…"

Gou held her breath; Makoto's face was inches away from her own. She can see how focused his face was, his eyebrows scrunched together, and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Her heartbeat quickened when he felt his hand fumbling around with her arm, still trying to tug it free. When she noticed that Makoto grunted out of frustration, he got closer to her, his bent legs on each side of her and his other arm holding him up for support was next to her shaky one. He was so close, so warm…

"Done! That should do it—"Makoto paused, suddenly taken aback of how close he was to Gou. He noticed how red her face was. "I…I didn't think this was going to be our first date instead."

Gou's flushed face dispersed when she couldn't help but stifle a grin from his words. "Makoto! You just ruined the moment!" She laughed, throwing her head back. Her laugh was contagious; causing Makoto to join in with her.

"Sorry, sorry. I had to say it." With his arm still holding her own, he stood up from his spot, carefully bringing Gou back on her feet. He raised his eyebrow when he saw what was contained in her hand. "All of this just for a soda?"

Gou placed her free hand on her hip. "I was thirsty and I wanted a soda, excuse me."

Makoto held his hands in front of him in defense. "No worries! You could have gotten something back at your dorm."

"You're right. I could have waited." Gou pouted. "I just wanted something to drink now."

Makoto chuckled. "Well, you got it now. Shall I walk you back to your dorm?"

Gou's head perked up. "Sure, if you want to."

"I'd be glad to."

* * *

Gou turned to Makoto. "Thank you for walking me back. I'll see you…tomorrow."

"Definitely. Be ready by five instead, okay?" He reached forward and grabbed her arm that still held the unopened soda. He gently pried it out of her hand then started walking away.

"Wha-what was that for?!" Gou yelled at him, another flush forming on her face.

Makoto called over his shoulder. "Think of it as compensation for this evening. Text you tomorrow!"

Gou was speechless. "Wha…" Suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed. "That was my favorite soda, Makoto Tachibana!"

Her statement caused him to chuckle out loud, still walking away.

"Aww, damn it." Gou said her head down in defeat. "That seriously was my favorite soda." She then felt a buzz coming from her phone in her pocket.

It was a text message from Makoto:

_Now it's my favorite soda._

"Argh, Makoto!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! :)


	4. Festival.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically, these two are the clumsiest people ever and are perf for each other. Kthankbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I finished this up in my art history class. Good god, that class is boring. I hope you all have a good day!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

"You seriously got your arm stuck in the vending machine? Oh my god, that's hilarious!" Chigusa gushed, trying hard not to mess up putting on makeup on Gou.

Gou glared at Chigusa. "Rude. I just wanted my favorite soda."

"Hey, don't do that with your eyes, I'm trying to put on mascara for you."

Gou sighed and then opened her eyes wider. "Well, if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have seen Makoto. God, am I falling for him too fast?"

"Close your eyes." Chigusa pursed her lips while lightly applying eye shadow on Gou. "Not really. It's natural and I think, truly think he might be the one. I mean, that might sound over-reaching, but that's what I believe."

Gou cocked an eyebrow. "I guess, but you never know."

"Oh, Gou, you're so stubborn. It's not like you both are getting married, you're just going on a date." She grabbed her shoulders, causing Gou to open her eyes and meet Chigusa's face. "Just take it really slow. This is a good thing, Gou. You need to open up more, not just to me."

Gou looked down in her lap. "I know. Geez, Chigusa, are you trying to make me cry?"

Chigusa clicked her tongue. "Really Gou? I wasn't trying to." She brought her into a hug. "This is the perfect chance to open up very slowly. Your mom would be proud, you know?"

Gou leaned back. "You think so?"

"I know so. Now come on, we got to get you ready on time, silly."

"Oh yeah! He's gonna be here at 5!"

Chigusa finished up by curling Gou's hair in waves, down on her shoulders than having it in her usual ponytail. "There. Gou, this is going to sound cheesy. But your mom would be proud."

Gou giggled. "Chigusa, please. That was totally cheesy."

Chigusa put a hand on her hip and grinned. "But you know I mean it."

Gou smiled. "Right. I know, thank you." Gou heard a buzz from her phone. She grabbed it and her smile grew when she saw the sender. "He's outside."

"Don't fall."

Gou pursed her eyes at her best friend. "Good god, Chigusa, I'll be fine."

Gou walked out of her dorm room and rolled her eyes.  _She's so crazy._  She continued down the hallway to the elevator and then stepped inside. She released a sigh and then gazed at her reflection. She was wearing regular clothes; jeans, t-shirt, and cardigan. However, her face was defined with the makeup Chigusa applied on her and her hair was styled differently.  _Oh man, I don't even look myself. But…I think I like it. I hope Makoto does too._

Suddenly, the elevator dings, the doors opening on the ground floor of the dorm house. Gou stepped out and started walking towards the front door. Her hands were shaking in anticipation and sweat formed on her brow.  _Why am I getting so nervous? Its just Makoto! Just the handsome, sweet, gentle, Makoto… Ah, pull yourself together, Gou!_ While arguing with herself, she didn't notice Makoto standing in front of her until she walked right into him.

"Oof!"

"You okay, Gou? I've been calling out your name many times."

Gou snapped out of her thoughts and craned her neck to look up at Makoto. "Well, what do you know? H-hi there!" Gou blurted out, stepping a few steps back away from Makoto's defined chest that she landed on.

Makoto looked at her puzzled. "Gou, are you seriously okay?"

Gou coughed away her nervousness and then laughed. "Uh, yeah! Definitely! Let's get a move on, Makoto!" She started walking past him.

He continued to stare at her. "Gou. You're walking past our ride."

Gou paused and then looked back at Makoto. He smiled, pointing down at his moped that was sitting right next to him.

"Oh. My bad."

Makoto shook his head. "No worries. Climb on." He hopped on the moped, fastened his helmet on his head, and handed a helmet to Gou.

Gou hesitantly grabbed it and fastened the helmet upon her head. "I have never ridden on one of these before."

Makoto grinned. "Don't worry, just hold on tight."

She carefully brought her foot over the back of the seat and then gently placed her bottom on top.

"Gou, I'm getting old here."

"Don't rush me!"

Makoto chuckled at Gou's outburst. "Alright, alright." He waited for Gou to get situated. "Okay, now just hang on tight."

"Uh, right." She carefully reached around his mid-section and enclosed her hands upon his stomach. Gou could feel the soft rumbling of his laughter.

Makoto started his moped and began to zoom off. While Makoto drove to the surprise destination he had planned, Gou watched everything pass by her. People pass by in blurry forms, increasing when they got closer to their destination.

"Makoto? Where are we going?"

"You'll see, don't worry."

Gou shook her head to herself.  _Yeah, sure, he tells me not to worry. That makes me more anxious!_

Pulling back her hair to uncover her face, Gou notices the frequent scenery change during the ride. "It's a festival!" she exclaimed, looking over at families walking around and a few of them wearing traditional clothing.

Makoto shook with laughter. "Yes! Guess it isn't a surprise anymore."

Gou giggled and then patted his broad back. "No, no, I'm definitely surprised. This is awesome."

Makoto slowed down to a stopped and parked his moped. He hopped off and then extended his hand towards Gou. "Need a hand?"

"Sure." She placed her hand on top of his palm and then his fingers enclosed over her small dainty ones. He carefully pulled her up and took off her helmet for her. They were face to face, Gou leaning her head back to look up at his tall form. Suddenly, she shook her head and stepped back, her face flushed. "Uh, thank you very much."

He cleared his throat, a small blush forming on his own face. "No, problem. Let's get going."

They start walking towards the crowds of people, the size of the crowd increasing when they got closer to the outside vendors. Gou's eyes sparkled when she saw one of the first vendors. "Makoto, look! Let's play that!" she exclaimed, already running toward the booth.

"Ah, wait up!" Makoto said, going after her.

Gou stopped right in front of the booth and kneeled down to gaze at the tiny pool of goldfish. "I always love this game!"

Makoto chuckled and kneeled next to her. "How about we see how many we can catch?"

Gou looked over at him, her eyes blazing. "You're on."

Makoto smirked. "When it comes to competitions, I don't go easy."

"Me either."

After paying the vendor, the two received their paper paddles to scoop up the goldfish. Before starting, Makoto glanced at Gou from the corner of his eye. He was surprised she was staring intently in the small pool, almost like she's calculating the goldfish's movements. Sweat started to form on Makoto's forehead, clearing his head to focus.

"Ready? Go!" The vendor yelled, signaling the start of the game. Makoto and Gou wasted no time fishing goldfish, concentrating on not breaking their paper paddle. Gou was quick like lightning, scooping goldfish so carefully there weren't any tears yet on the paddle. Makoto was keeping up with Gou easily however his paddle was wearing out.

"Ahh, no!" Makoto shouted. Gou looked over at him and stifled a laugh. Makoto's paper paddle broke, signaling his loss at the game.

Gou jumped up. "Yes! I win!"

Makoto hung his head low. "Aww man."

"Wow, onee-chan! I wish I could have that many goldfish!" A younger boy said beside Gou.

Gou glanced down at him. The boy looked to be about 8 years old with a big toothy grin. Standing right behind him and holding on to his shirt looked to be his little sister, a girl about 6 years old with pigtails. Gou smiled kindly at the kids. She turned over back at the vendor, who put the caught goldfish in a large, clear, water-filled bag, took it from him, and thanked him. She peered back down at the kids and held out the bag to them.

"Here. These are for you two."

The children look at her in awe, their eyes sparkling. "Are you sure, onee-chan?" the young boy asked.

Gou nodded. "Of course. Now hurry home, it's getting dark!"

The children nodded eagerly. "Yes ma'am! Thank you very much!" They said in unison before running off.

Makoto watched the scene through soft, lidded eyes. He was mesmerized by Gou, how compassionate she was giving the kids the goldfish she caught. He couldn't help but let his lips curve up in a grin. Gou watched the kids run away and then glanced back at Makoto.

"What?"

Startled, Makoto cleared his throat. "Ah, nothing! I was just, uh, impressed that you gave your winning goldfish away."

Gou waved her hand. "No worries. I think they would have a better home with those two. Did you see their faces? They were so cute!"

 _No, you were cuter._  Makoto shook his thoughts away.  _Did I really just think that? Oh god, I'm hopeless._

"Come on, let's go! I'm starving!" Gou said, already beginning to jog off towards a street of vendors.

The two young adults enjoyed their time together at the festival. They ate some takoyaki, curry, and crepes. After filling their stomachs, they looked around at other vendors. Both Gou and Makoto got each traditional masks, with Gou playing around with Makoto while wearing the mask. The way she was acting caused Makoto to break out into laughter, unable to keep a straight face. Gou joined in after, holding her sides from how much she laughed. She hadn't felt this happy in so long, it was refreshing and it felt right to her. Especially when she was with Makoto. He lifted up her spirits so easily.

Hours passed and the two walk side by side towards the parking lot to leave. Gou gazed up at Makoto, beaming.

"Thank you for today, Makoto. I had so much fun."

He looked down at her face and in return gave her a warm smile. "You're very welcome. I sincerely had so much fun as well. I think we should do this more often."

"What?"

Makoto brought his head back up to see in front of him, his cheeks burning. "Uh, more dates."

Gou's lips quivered into a cheeky grin. "You trying to ask me out, Tachibana?"

"Uh, well, yes."

Gou's cheeks turned a bright pink. "Oh! This is a funny way to do it. Though, I accept."

Makoto stopped in his tracks and turned to Gou. "You mean it?"

She closed her eyes and grinned. "Defini—"Unexpectedly, a group of kids rush passed the two, causing Gou to lose her balance. Makoto instantly rose to action, springing in front of Gou to catch her fall. He successfully caught her, holding her against his chest but unfortunately, he lost his footing and fell on his arm funny. The two lay on the ground with Gou on top of his chest. She raised her head up. "Oh gosh, I'm so clumsy. Thanks for catching me, Makoto. Makoto? Hey, Makoto!"

He grunted and then opened his eyes. "Ah, no screaming."

"Sorry, but you weren't answering."

"Yeah, it's because I'm kind of in pain."

Gou peered her eyes at him. "What do you mean in pain?"

"I can't feel my arm."

Gou face contorted into panic and then seriousness, all in one second, quickly crawling off of Makoto and helping him up. "We need to go to the hospital now!"

Makoto blinked at her in bewilderment, stunned at how fast she got up. "Uh, alright-"He was cut off by Gou pulling his good arm and running towards the moped. Once they reached it, Gou turned to Makoto.

"You can't drive, give me your keys." Automatically, Makoto fished out his keys in his pocket and handed it to her. Honestly, he didn't want to cross her, especially how serious Gou was handling the situation. She grabbed it and hopped on the moped, quickly bringing it to life. Makoto climbed on behind her and handed her a helmet. She swiftly fastened the helmet on her head, looking back at Makoto to see if he needed help. Once he got it on, she said, "You better hold on tight, Makoto." Sweat dripped down on the side of his face, hesitantly nodding to her command and held on to her stomach with his good arm. Gou revved up the engine and pressed on the gas, speeding away towards the hospital.

* * *

"I don't normally talk this way, but you were so badass, Gou." Makoto said, walking beside her out of the emergency room, a sling on his left arm. "That was honestly your first time driving a moped?"

"Yes!" Gou giggled sheepishly. "But thanks, I guess. I just felt that's what I needed to do. There's no time for panicking, you just have to stay calm in those situations."

"Seriously though, thank you. I owe you a lot."

Gou blushed softly. "Well, this is an awkward place to accept being your girlfriend."

Makoto chuckled. "Yeah, definitely."

"But it's memorable."

"Indeed."

Makoto gently clasped his right hand around Gou's left hand, intertwining their fingers. Both were blushing the same color of Gou's hair, pure innocence and affection in their eyes. They continued walking towards the moped.

Makoto glanced down at Gou. "You want to show me your badass side again?" He said, raising his keys in front of her eyes.

She smirked, grabbing the keys. "Please, Tachibana, I'll show you a sight you've never seen before."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you see the last line? Huh? Huh? Something Rin would say huh? I love puns.
> 
> Don't mind my silliness. Let me know what you think!


	5. Horror Movies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm super glad you're liking this fic, it's really fun to write! Hope you are all doing well and to enjoy this chapter! :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

A week later, Makoto felt a buzz from his phone, signaling an oncoming text. He was lounging on his bed, resting from a busy day at his internship at the local swim club with Jiji curled up in a ball on his abdomen. He reached over from his spot and grabbed his phone with his good hand on his night stand. His sprained arm was still in a sling, much to his dismay. Glancing at the screen, Makoto smiled fondly when he found out who the sender was.  _Hey Makoto! I was wondering since I have extra time if I can come over in a little bit? I want to visit Jiji and check up on your arm. See you soon!_  He paused, then continued to re-read Gou's message. "Soon, as in…now?!" Makoto shot up in a sitting position, startling Jiji from his slumber. "I got to tidy up the place!" He stood up and rushed over to his door, opening it. "Haru! Gou-chan is coming over soon, so please put on some clothes!"

Makoto heard shuffling and then Haru walked down the hallway, clad in his usual apron over his swimsuit. He was also holding a ladle, staring at Makoto in a deadpanned expression. "I am clothed."

"Haru! Real clothes, not your swimsuit!" Makoto whined.

Haru sighed. "Fine, I'll cover up for your girlfriend. I'm making mackerel soup for dinner, so you're getting less since you're yelling at me."

Makoto rolled his eyes. "That's alright then. Answer the door if I'm not out here in time." Haru nodded then walked back to the kitchen. Makoto leaned back into his room and looked around. "Okay, I have to clean up here then the living room." He looked over at Jiji, who was staring at him with a curious gaze on his bed. Makoto chuckled. "Yeah, Gou's coming over. Can't wait to see her, huh?" In surprise, Jiji answered with a happy meow. Makoto grinned wider. "Wow, you really do miss her. Come on, let's do some cleaning!"

* * *

Gou leisurely walked towards Makoto's apartment, watching the sun beginning to set for the day.  _I can't believe I decided to come over to his apartment. What if he's busy? Am I bothering him? Why didn't he answer? Why am I asking all of these stupid questions in my mind? Geez, calm down Gou, you're just checking on his arm and Jiji. That's what a girlfriend should do._  She blushed at the word girlfriend. Ever since they started dating, they haven't necessarily done much. It's mostly because they've been busy and the only time they see each other was in class, but they couldn't talk as much. Although, she helped him write down notes, since Makoto was having trouble because of his sprained arm. Today, Chigusa suggested for Gou to visit him herself and spend time with him, it was the weekend after all.

Suddenly, her phone chimed with a new message.  _Hello Gou-chan! You can come over at any time. My roommate Haru might answer the door since I want to tidy up the place haha. See you in a little bit!_ She squinted at his message. "That little… he only has one good arm, why is he bothering to clean!" She shook her head in frustration and then continued to his apartment.

* * *

Makoto tidied up the living room and his room in no time, taking care of finishing touches in the bathrooms. He did struggle because of his sprained arm, but he worked through the inconveniency with the thought of Gou on the way. All of a sudden, he heard knocking coming from the front door. "Haru! Can you get the door! And please, have clothes on!"

Haru rolled his eyes. He took off his apron, showing he did put on a shirt and pants in time. He walked to the front door and opened it, revealing Gou at the front step.

"Oh, hi! I'm Gou Matsuoka, you must be Haru. Nice to meet you!" she said, bowing.

Haru's stared at her. "Likewise. Come on in."

Gou smiled and stepped inside, excusing for the intrusion. She took off her shoes at the front door and then took a long whiff. "That smells amazing! Is it mackerel?"

A small grin formed on his face. "Yes, thank you, it's mackerel soup. It's almost done, would you like to have some?"

"Sure! I'd love some!"

Haru nodded at her and then walked back to the kitchen, a small little curve a smile still evident on his face. Gou giggled at the way he acted, then took a look around the living room. She glanced at pictures that were hung on the wall. One picture caught her eye and she stared at with awe. It was a picture of Makoto and Haru when they were little with their swim club. Next to that picture were candid pictures of them two when they were in high school.

"Those were the days."

Gou jumped at the sound of Makoto's voice. She turned to him and smacked his good arm. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Makoto laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Gou glared at him and then glanced back at the pictures. "I didn't know that Nagisa-kun and Rei-kun were in your swim club."

Makoto looked at her in wonder. "You know Nagisa and Rei?"  
She nodded. "Yep! Nagisa is in my literature class and Rei is in my painting class."

"I see. Wow, small world. But yes, they were in the swim club with Haru and me. You want to see Jiji?"

Gou nodded eagerly. "Of course!" He grabbed her hand and then led her to his bedroom. Both had small blushes on their face, but they kept to themselves respectively. Makoto opened up the door to his room for her and gestured her inside. Gou glanced around his room. It was a normal bedroom of a young man; bed, desk, dresser, and nightstand. She noticed though that he had a photo of his family on his desk. Makoto caught her staring at it and smiled.

"Oh, that's a picture of my family." He grabbed it and pointed to each person. "This is my dad, my mom, and my twin siblings Ran and Ren."

"You all look so much alike!" Gou cooed. She suddenly felt a rub on her leg. She looked down and grinned at Jiji, rubbing against her in delight. "Well hello there, Jiji! It's nice to see you again! Man, you've gotten so big." Gou picked him up and cuddled him against her chest, Jiji purring in pleasure.

Makoto reached out and petted Jiji's head. "Looks like he really missed you. It's amazing for him to remember you though."

"Of course! Even though he was just a baby kitten, I saved him from being homeless! Isn't that right, Jiji?" she said, rubbing her cheek against Jiji's head. Jiji's purring increased from the motion.

Without warning, there was persistent knocking at the front door. Makoto and Gou jumped from the erupting noise, staring at each other in confusion.

"Who could that be?" Makoto asked out in wonder. He and Gou left the vicinity of his room and walked over to the front door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Mako-chan!" Makoto heard a muffled voice on the other side of the door.

Makoto and Gou glanced at each, knowing full and well who it was. "It's Nagisa." They said in unison.

Makoto opened the door. "Ah! Mako-chan and Gou-chan! What a surprise!" Nagisa exclaimed, moving past Makoto to tackle Gou in a huge hug.

"Nagisa-kun, please get off of Gou-san." Rei was heard back at the door.

Nagisa released a struggling Gou from his clutches and leaned back in wonder. "How do you know Mako-chan, Gou-chan?"

"Um," Gou stuttered, walking back a bit to be next to Makoto. "We're actually dating."

Nagisa animatedly gasped. "Oh my! How awesome! I didn't know this! Congratulations to the happy couple!" Nagisa came forth and brought Makoto and Gou in another smoldering hug.

Rei pulled Nagisa away from them by the back of his collar. "Nagisa-kun, give them space!" he scolded. Then he looked back up with a soft smile. "Congratulations though, you two."

Makoto and Gou blushed simultaneously, nodding a thanks.

Nagisa grinned at their likeness. "So! The reason why we came over was to see if you all wanted to see the new horror movie that came out today."

Gou's eyes lit up. "The one with the creepy animatronics at a kid's pizza place?"

"Yes, that's the one! You want to see it, Gou-chan?"

"Definitely! I've been dying to see it." She looked up at Makoto, unaware of his nervousness increasing. "You want to go, Makoto?"

Makoto gulped and then glanced down at Gou's cheery face, a smile plastered on his own. "O-of course, Gou. I'll go with you."

Nagisa chuckled. "Now I got to ask Haru-chan if he wants to go!"

"No." Haru announced from the kitchen. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at his bluntness.

* * *

The four of them walked to the theatre. Since the campus was really close to things like food and entertainment, walking always helped get to students' destination. Gou and Nagisa were walking ahead, avidly talking about how they couldn't wait to see the movie. Makoto and Rei walked behind them, Makoto barely lagging along.

Rei glanced over at Makoto with worry. "Makoto-senpai, why haven't you told Gou-san yet that you hate horror movies?"

Makoto glanced away hesitantly, then looked over at Rei with a grin. "It's nothing to worry about, Rei. If Gou wants to see something really badly with me, who am I as a boyfriend to tell her for me not to go with her? You understand?"

"Not really. If I don't like something, I tell Nagisa-kun no matter what. Nagisa-kun is worse because he's more, I guess you can say, vocal about anything he doesn't like."

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean. However, Gou means a lot to me and I don't want to disappoint her. I'm just going to make myself braver."

"Well, I wish you luck, Makoto-senpai."

"Thanks, I think."

* * *

Nagisa and Gou sat in the middle, with Makoto on Gou's other side and Rei on Nagisa's. Nagisa had splurged on almost every snack at the concession stand, with Rei shaking his head in annoyance. Gou and Makoto split a large popcorn, bashfully murmuring an apology each time their hand would brush against each other when they would grab some. Then everyone became silent when the movie began to start.

Throughout the beginning of the movie, the atmosphere was tense with anticipation because jumpscares were unpredictable in it. Makoto squirmed in his seat, trying hard to look away or close his eyes in each scene. However, Gou noticed, peeking over at him from the corner of her eye. Suddenly, one of the main jumpscares came on. Makoto couldn't take it anymore. He excused himself and ran out of the theatre. Gou was caught off guard but told the guys she'll be back then ran after him.

She found him in the hallway, right outside the restrooms. "Makoto? Are you okay?"

He glanced at her then looked down at the ground. "No, not really."

Gou walked up to him, concern etched in her face. "What's wrong? You can tell me."

He avoided her gaze but cleared his throat. "I don't really like horror movies, Gou. I'm actually terrified of them."

"Wha-"

"Please don't be mad, I just wanted you to be happy because you said you wanted to see it with me and that you've been wanting to see it. I couldn't tell you no."

"Makoto. Look at me."

When he didn't respond, she reached her hands up and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her. Shocked, Makoto stared at her, Gou's eyes burning into his.

"I would never be mad at you for that. You should've told me though, that way I wouldn't had made you go through that. I'm sorry."

Bewildered, Makoto grabbed Gou's shoulders. "No, I should be the one apologizing, I should have told you in the first place!"

Gou giggled. "I guess we're both in the wrong. Truce?"

Makoto gave her a warm smile. "Truce."

They continued to stare at each other, both of their faces going red because of the position they were still in. They were so close to each other, Gou still held Makoto's face and Makoto still held her shoulders. Slowly, Gou stood up on her tiptoes and Makoto brought his head further down, inching closer to each other's lips…

"Boo!"

Makoto yelped in fright, hiding behind Gou. The two looked over at the assailant.

"Nagisa!" Gou and Makoto said in unison.

"Yo! Sorry, I just had to do it!" He smugly said.

"You better start running!" Gou yelled, charging after Nagisa.

Nagisa screamed, running away from Gou as fast as he could.

Rei came up to Makoto and patted his shoulder. "Well, that wasn't hard was it? I apologize for Nagisa's behavior though."

Makoto glanced at Rei, sincerely laughing. "No worries. Everything is all better now."

Makoto and Rei flinched when they heard Gou's angry voice.

"You little shit, come back here!"

"Wahhhhh, Rei-chan help me!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you know what movie they went to see? Huh? Huh?
> 
> Let me know what you thought about the chapter! :D


	6. Birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay but I updated! Things are getting hectic at home, despite me being done with the semester at uni. But I will still be updating the story, don't worry! I hope you like this one.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

"Haru, we're not having mackerel for Makoto's birthday dinner. It's something you want not him."

"But it's good."

"Yeah, it sure is."

"Everyone needs to know the goodness."

"Haru, forcing people to eat your food is not going to help. Besides, it's Makoto's birthday. Let's make his favorite foods."

"Fine… but I get to still make some for lunch."

"Okay then."

"You're going to eat it with me."

Gou sighed. "Okay, Haru." She looked down at her clipboard of the tasks she needed to do to have Makoto's birthday dinner at the apartment a success. It was around noon of Makoto's birthday and she came over to the apartment to have everything finalized for the night. Gou had to wait for Makoto to leave for his internship at local swim club before entering the apartment, based on Haru's signal. She wanted everything to be a surprise.

Gou looked back up at Haru. "Okay, go ahead and leave to get groceries for tonight. You're getting ingredients for green curry and chocolate cake. Remember, get enough to make for ten people!"

Haru nodded. "Got it." He grabbed his wallet and then left out the door.

Gou grabbed her phone and dialed Chigusa's number. She answered on the first ring. "Um, hello Chigusa?"

"Gou! We're almost done! It took a little bit longer than expected, because of a certain someone trying to pop all the balloons, but we got all the decorations!"

"Nagisa? Really? I'll smack him."

"Don't worry, I did. Okay, now we're on the way back to decorate the apartment."

"Alright, that's good. Check!"

Gou heard Chigusa giggle on the other line. "Did you just say 'check' to yourself?"

"Don't judge. It keeps me organized. See you in a bit!" Gou hung up before Chigusa can make fun of her any further. She went through her contacts to look for Makoto's mom number until she suddenly got a text message from Rei.

_"_ _Subject has entered locker room at the swim club. Proceeding to investigate further. –Rei"_

Gou rolled her eyes.  _I asked him to keep an eye on Makoto and let me know if he ends up leaving before schedule, not to become a detective!_

She shook her thoughts away and dialed Makoto's mom's number. A week before, she asked Haru for Makoto's parents information so she can give them a call and see if they can come to Tokyo for Makoto's birthday. They were so sweet, gushing about how no girlfriend has ever done something so special for their son before. Then that got her thinking how many girlfriends has Makoto had?! Distracting her thoughts, his parents genuinely thanked her repeatedly and they will be leaving to Tokyo on the day of the birthday with Makoto's twelve year old twin siblings.

"Hello, Mrs. Tachibana?"

"Hello Gou-chan!" Gou blushed at the nickname his mom gave her. "We are just about to get on the train to head over there! We shouldn't be too long, most likely an hour before the dinner starts."

"Alright, that's good! I was looking over the schedule and checklist to make sure everything was on time. I'm looking forward to finally meeting you all!"

"Oh my, we do as well! We already know how much a diligent and passionate young lady you are, we're blessed to have you for our son."

Gou's face turned extremely red. She thanked the heavens that she was by herself so no one can see her. "I, wow that truly means a lot to me, Mrs. Tachibana. Really."

"Of course dear, we sincerely mean it too. Alrighty, we will see you soon! Bye-bye!"

Gou heard the click from the other line before she fell on the sofa. "Oh my god, his family is going to kill me with kindness." She took a pillow and covered her face with it. "And here I thought they weren't going to like me. I wanted Makoto to meet my mom…and dad…" She sat up and shook her head. "I have onii-chan. Oh, I can't wait until he visits."

Suddenly, she heard door being unlocked. Haru came through with paper bags filled with groceries. He caught Gou's eye. "You. Help me cook."

"Uh, right. I can do the cake if you want? I've done it plenty of times."

Haru nodded. "'Kay. I'll do the prep for dinner." He said, walking to the kitchen. She fast-paced after him, making sure she didn't get in his way. She noticed that Haru can be really focused when he's in the kitchen, something hard to believe from the freestyle pro-swimmer himself. Gou wasted no time to preheat the oven and start on the mixing the ingredients for the cake.  _I hope he loves this, Makoto really loves chocolate so I wouldn't see why not._  She checked the oven to see if it's ready to put the batter in, and once it was she poured the batter in the baking pan. After putting the pan in the oven, she started the timer just at the same time that Nagisa and Chigusa bustled through the front door.

Chigusa was out of breath and her usually bun on top of her was all over in places. "Thank goodness the front door was open." She glanced at Gou and then glared at her. "Never make me go shopping with that one again." She stated, pointing at him.

Nagisa eyebrows curved upward, sticking out a pout. "What? How rude, Chi-chan!" he whined.

"For the last time, stop calling me Chi-chan!"

"Guys now is not the-"Gou was cut off by the ring from her phone. She pulled out her phone and looked at the text message.  _"Subject had finished completing urination and is now heading back to the designated pool area."_ Gou flinched, her forehead throbbing from her anger increasing. "Damn it, Rei, I don't need to know everything!" She faced Chigusa and Nagisa. "You two, quit arguing and start decorating. We only have three more hours to go. Make it look professional." She said in huffs, her voice dripping with aggravation.

Chigusa and Nagisa jumped. "Y-yes ma'am!" they said in unison, running towards the decorations.

Gou shook her head, trying to cool off her anger.  _Okay, time to finish up before I go and get him!_

* * *

Two hours had passed and Chigusa and Nagisa's decorations were complete. Haru finished the dinner on time, but also made mackerel on the side for himself. Gou shook her head at this but continued checking things off the list. Rei texted Gou saying his "mission was complete" and that he was on the way over to the apartment. Gou checked that off, then looked at the remaining two things on the list. "Okay, I'll be leaving soon to go pick him up but where is…"

At that moment, she heard the doorbell ring. Gou opened the door and grinned. "Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana! It's great to finally meet you, come in! I'm about to go pick Makoto up from his internship!" Makoto's parents had such a pleasant smile on their face, it made Gou blush.

"Oh, Gou-chan, I'm so happy to finally meet you." Mrs. Tachibana voiced out, bringing Gou into a tight hug. Mr. Tachibana patted Gou's back through the exchange.

"We honestly mean it that when we say we're happy to finally meet you, Gou-san. You take care of our boy very well." He said, ruffling Gou's hair.

Gou turned redder when she broke from the embrace. "Ahh, thanks Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana."

Suddenly, she was flung backwards from an impact she received on her waist. "Oof!" Gou looked down and found a girl and a boy hugging her around her waist. She smiled and ruffled their heads. "Oh, you both must be Ran and Ren. I've heard so much about you two."

Ran stepped back and raised an eyebrow. "I hope they were good things."

Gou giggled. "Yes, they were good things. You are, after all, Makoto's favorite brother and sister.

Ran grinned widely while Ren, who was still connected to her waist, squeezed more. "I really like you, nee-chan!" Ren happily cheered out.

Gou laughed. "Aww, I like you too. Now, I have to get going and bring your big brother here so we can celebrate his birthday, okay?"

"Okay, nee-chan!" They said in unison. Gou smiled at them and then looked back on her checklist.  _Wait, where's…_

Rei busted through the door. "Ah, I'm here! I'm here!"

Gou nodded her head. "Right on time, Rei-kun, good work. Alright, I'm going to leave and pick him up. Everyone, be ready, okay?"

They nodded in agreement, reassuring everything will go as planned.

* * *

"Oh, Tachibana-san? He should be packing up the equipment right now, he finished his class not too long ago." The lady at the front desk of the swim club Makoto interns at said to Gou. "If you want, you can go ahead and go on through. You go through the pool area towards the back and he should be there."

Gou bowed. "Thank you very much."

She walked down a hallway, smiling to herself. Once she reached the pool area, she opened the door slowly. Gou stuck her head through the opened gap and peeked through. "Uh, hello?"

"Ah, Gou! I'm over here!" she heard Makoto holler out. She scanned her eyes and noticed he was in the back, finishing up packing the equipment. She also noticed he was still in his wetsuit that he wears for his internship.  _Oh my, that just defines his muscles in all the right places…keep it together, Gou. You've been doing so good…_ She stepped through the doors and walked carefully around the pool to him. She heard Makoto chuckle. "Gou, we cleaned up the floors already, so it shouldn't be slippery."

Gou grimaced, her face turning pink. "I like to be safe than sorry!" she said while tiptoeing. Makoto shook his head at her, but couldn't help having a goofy grin on his face. Once she reached him, she charged up and hugged him tightly. "I hope you had a great birthday so far."

Makoto's grin widened, hugging Gou closer to his body. "It gotten better since you walked in."

Gou stepped back and punched his shoulder, pink still etched on her cheeks. "Oh my gosh, Makoto that was so lame!"

His eyes shut while he laughed. "But I mean it Gou!"

Gou rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Now hurry up and finish, we got to go!"

Makoto looked at her in confusion. "Why, what's the rush?"

Gou bit her lip.  _Crap, almost slipped up there!_ "Um, well I got Haru to leave the apartment and I have dinner waiting for us…so yeah, that's why. I don't want the dinner to get cold!"

Makoto's eyes went wide and his face went red. "O-oh! I see, I'll hurry up then! Uh, you can wait outside while I'll go change. I-I won't be long."

Gou walked back out the doors of the pool area and waited.  _Hm, what's up with him?_

A few minutes' passed until Makoto emerged from the pool area, wearing jeans and a red plaid shirt. Gou blushed staring at him.  _I can tell how good his muscles look from here too… ahh, stop Gou!_ "Ready to go?" she asked.

Makoto smiled, avoiding eye-contact. "Yep, definitely!"

* * *

The walk back to the apartment was weird in itself. They did talk about things, how their day went (with Gou not telling him too many details of her surprise), and such but Makoto kept stuttering on his words. She glanced up at him a few times, seeing him look to the side, his face still flushed, and sweat drops forming on his forehead.  _Is he getting sick? Oh, I hope not. I'll check his temperature when we get back to the apartment._

They walked up the stairs of the apartment complex and then stood in front his apartment door. "Uh, I'll get the door then…" Gou said, when she noticed that he hadn't budged. When she opened the door, she was going to step aside for him to walk in first but he had other ideas. Instead, when she opened the door, he suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a passionate, but sloppy kiss. His right hand was on her hip while his left one was steadily touching her waist, bringing it up and down. Her eyes went flying wide as she froze, goosebumps cascading her body. She felt the lights shine bright on the two of them and everyone yelling "Surpri-"until they got a good look at the sudden show at the front door. Awkward silence was filled until Nagisa broke it off.

"Yeah, you go, Mako-chan!"

Makoto's eyes flew open in shock, flinging himself back from Gou. "Ah, hey guys-ah! Hey, mom and dad!" he stammered, his face shining beet red. His parents chuckled a bit from Makoto's forwardness, something they were not use to seeing their son do. Nagisa was still whooping at Makoto, with Rei trying hard to shush him as best as he could. Chigusa was laughing quietly to herself and Haru cracked a smile at Makoto. Ran and Ren ran up to Gou and hugged her, while glaring at Makoto.

"That was so mean, onii-chan! Nee-chan didn't know you were going to do that!" Ren cried.

Ran stood in front of Gou. "How can you embarrass her like that?"

Makoto looked between his siblings before glancing back up to Gou, pleading with his eyes. Gou, who finally snapped from her trance, looked down and patted the twins' heads. "Don't worry, you two. I wasn't embarrassed. I was surprised, but I'm good now." She smiled at them reassuringly.

"I guess onii-chan was the wrong person to yell surprise to." Ren stated, causing everyone to laugh in response.

Gou clapped her hands, avoiding any more awkwardness that was bound to happen. "Alright, let's go ahead and dig in to the food Haru made for Makoto's birthday! It's homemade green curry!"

Everyone gathered around, grabbing plates to serve themselves. Gou and Makoto lagged behind.

"Gou," he had pulled her to the side, guilt still evident on his face. "I'm sorry for doing that, I had no idea."

Gou giggled. "It's okay, Makoto. I just want to know why you did it."

Makoto grimaced, avoiding her eyes again. "Uh, no reason. I felt like I wanted to."

"Are you sure? Is it because…" Then Gou gasped and slapped his shoulder. "You thought of something perverted, huh?!"

Makoto held up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry! When you said we were going to be alone-Sorry! Won't happen again!"

Gou crossed her arms and glared at him playfully. "It better not. Now go enjoy your birthday, I also made you a chocolate cake."

Makoto's eyes sparkled when he gazed at her, smiling. "You are the best girlfriend in the world, you that?"

Gou nodded. "I sure am."

"Thank you, Gou. This is the best birthday ever." He said, pulling her into his embrace. She happily returned it.

"You're welcome, Makoto. Anything for you. Just make sure to do something awesome for mine, okay?"

Makoto pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Oh, you have no idea." He said huskily, causing Gou to shiver from his words.  _Damn it, he's killing me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all like this chapter, please let me know what you think!


	7. Truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry I've been so busy, I've been working, taking summer classes, and taking care of my mom. To go into detail with my mom, please read my post on my blog: post/119354231651/my-mother-is-the-heart-that-keeps-me-alive
> 
> I've been stressed out and busy, my mom is going to have major back surgery they day after my birthday. So, please keep her in your thoughts.
> 
> I haven't forgotten about this story! I will finish it and I have another story in mind :)
> 
> Trigger warning: This chapter includes mentioning of suicide and depression. Please be advised.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own that characters of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

Before anyone knew it, winter break came around. It was the end of the semester, which meant it was the comprehensive final exam in Makoto and Gou's anatomy class. Both had finished the exam with ease, studying nonstop at each other's places. Gou finished first, turning in her final and bowing to the teacher. She caught Makoto's eye and gave him a thumb's up, causing him to grin back at her. She stepped out of the door and waited on the bench outside. Gou couldn't help but lean back against the wall and close her eyes.  _Ah, I finished, mom. I can now have a break! I'll make sure to visit soon since it's-_  She blinked her eyes open, fighting back threatening tears. She brought her hands up to smack her cheeks.  _Keep it together, Gou. Just keep it together._

"Gou, are you alright?"

Gou was halted from her thoughts to look up at a curious Makoto looking down at her.

"Oh! Yes, I guess I'm just exhausted from all the studying. It sure paid off in the end though!"

"You sure? Why are you all red?" he placed his hand on her forehead worriedly. She playfully nodded it away with her hand.

"No worries, I actually smacked my face to wake myself up." She said, bashfully, although avoiding the whole truth.

Makoto smiled and then held his hand out to her. "Well, you can rest all you want now. You're off from school and work for the winter break. You definitely deserve a much needed rest. Come on, I'll take you back home."

Gou smiled back at him, grateful with his words. She firmly grasped his hand and they began walking towards her dorm.

"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to go ice skating on Saturday. To, you know, celebrate break, you know?" Makoto asked, looking over at Gou. However, she was in a daze, staring straight ahead. "Gou? Are you listening?" He squeezed her hand.

Gou jolted before realizing her fault. "Oh no, I'm so sorry, Makoto! I guess, I'm…more tired than I realized." She said, nervously chuckling.

Makoto began getting concerned, knowing Gou was acting different lately.

* * *

Ever since the incident with the RA Saeko, Makoto has been allowed to visit Gou's dorm and such. So it hasn't been relatively new for Makoto to drop her off at her dorm room. However, Makoto had something more in mind.

Once they reached the dorm room, Gou opened up the door. Chigusa was on her bed, studying for her last class. She looked up from her textbook. "Oh hey lovebirds! How are ya?"

Makoto waved and Gou griped at her. "Oh stop with the nicknames, okay? Makoto's just dropping me off of course." She turned around to face him. "Thank you so much for walking me back, Makoto. Sorry about being out of it lately."

Makoto laughed and then gave her a hug. "Don't worry, Gou. Just make sure you get enough rest." He pulled back from the embrace and looked over at Chigusa. "I actually wanted to talk to Chigusa-chan for a sec, if that's okay?"

Puzzled, Chigusa nodded. "Uh, sure. Let's go in the hallway."

Makoto nodded goodbye to Gou and left the room, waiting outside for Chigusa to follow suit. Chigusa got up and shrugged her shoulders at Gou, who was just as confused as she was. Chigusa stepped out and closed the door, noticing Makoto was at the end of the hallway.  _I guess he doesn't want Gou to know?_ She shrugged to herself before walking to him. "So, what's up?"

Makoto looked at Chigusa with apprehension. "Sorry to bother you, but I'm worried about Gou. All today she's been zoning out, like she's in some sort of daze. Do you know anything, Chigusa-chan? I just hope she's okay."

"Let's see, why would she do that?" Chigusa wondered, thinking about possibilities. "Okay, it's December so it could be…Oh. I know. I know what it is."

"What is it?"

Chigusa looked at Makoto and sighed. "I honestly can't tell you, Makoto. She needs to tell you herself. I'll let her know though that you're worried and hopefully she will tell you sooner than later. I don't want you to be in the dark about it, but it's something Gou needs to tell you. You understand?"

Makoto was deep in thought. "I see. No, no, I definitely understand."

"Let me encourage her to try, you know? So be patient with her and be there for her, please?"

"I will, I'll never leave her side."

"Good." Chigusa placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "You're not bad, Makoto. I'm actually really happy you're there for her."

"Thanks. I feel like I'm not doing enough though, so I'll definitely be there for her more than before! Oh, I also wanted to take her ice skating this weekend. She wasn't paying attention when I was asking her if she wanted to go. Do you think you can convey that to her? Please?"

"Of course! You know, it's better you make sure to cheer her up this whole break. It's going to be a tough one for her, you know?"

Makoto nodded at her, before heading to the elevator. "For sure. I will make sure she's at her happiest with me. See you later, Chigusa-chan and thank you for letting me know."

"No problem, be safe getting home!"

* * *

Chigusa walked back in her dorm and sat on her bed, knowing Gou was about to ask what happened. "Before you say anything, come over here." She patted a spot next to her. Gou, already clad in her pajamas, walked over and sat next to Chigusa. Suddenly, Chigusa wrapped her arms around her, to pull her into a tight hug. "It's on Sunday, huh?"

Overwhelmed, Gou's tears fell from her eyes, burying her face into Chigusa's shoulder. She cried for a few minutes, with Chigusa rubbing her back occasionally to calm her down. "You're so strong, Gou. I'm so proud of you."

Chigusa pulled back and wiped some tears from Gou's eyes. "Makoto's worried, you know."

Gou's eyes widened. "He is? I didn't mean to…"

"Gou, I think it's time you should tell him about your mom."

Gou bit her lip. "You think so?"

Chigusa nodded. "Yep. I wanted to tell him because of how concerned he was but this is something you should tell him yourself. It's not my place."

"You're right. I need to tell him."

"Maybe tell him Saturday. He wanted to take you to go ice skating that day."

"He did? Oh geez, I guess that's when I blanked out when he asked me. I'll make sure to text him."

"Good, it'll be good for the both of you. He really wants to see you happy. But before you are, you need to be honest to him and to yourself."

Gou looked at Chigusa with confusion. "Myself?"

"That you're able to trust someone like Makoto wholeheartedly, it's kind of life-changing, don't you think? It's you who needs to open up more and I'm glad you're starting to."

Gou gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Chigusa. For everything."

"No problem! Now let's get to bed, I am so tired because of how wise I was tonight. I need a break!"

* * *

"So what do you have planned for us today?" Gou asked Makoto while they were walking in town, hand in hand. When Gou texted Makoto saying she would like to go ice skating, he was absolutely thrilled. He planned out the course of the day accordingly. They were first going ice skating, then dinner at restaurant/bakery, and then a walk through the park. He wanted to make sure they do the last one in the evening, since Christmas lights are up and around the city.

"Oh, you'll see. First on our list is ice skating. Have you ever been before?"

Gou nodded her head. "Yeah, once. I'm not really good but my onii-chan was pretty cool when he ice skated. I mean he was good in any sport!" She said, giggling.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall!" Makoto chuckled, squeezing her hand with his warm giant one.

*break*

"What was it that you said? That you wouldn't let me fall? I didn't think it would be me making sure you don't." Gou huffed, glaring at Makoto. At this moment he was flat on his back on the ice, with his face flustered beet red.

"I didn't think it would be this hard…" Makoto exasperated, pulling himself up against one of the walls surrounding the skating rink.

Gou slid up to him. "When's the last time you went ice skating?"

"Uh…"

"You haven't went at all, huh?"

Makoto hung his head in defeat. "No. I have not."

Gou couldn't help but laugh at his response. In front of her stood the tall, muscular giant of a man Makoto Tachibana, legs wobbling, arms holding on desperately to the wall, and his face had a never leaving red tint. He looked so cute and awkward to Gou, she just had to laugh.

Makoto pouted. "Aww, why are you laughing?"

"Because you're so cute, that's why. Come on, let's get going." Gou glided over to Makoto and outstretched her hands in front of him. "Hold on to my hands and we'll start off very slowly." Hesitant, Makoto took one hand off the wall and reached for one of Gou's hands. "Almost there…now let go of the wall and grab my other hand." He was getting more nervous, especially the fact that he can literally crush her if he's not careful. He pulled off from the wall and held on to Gou's other hand. "Good job, Makoto. Now keep ahold and I'll start moving." She started sliding backwards, with Makoto rolling along and trying not to panic.

"You're going too fast!" Makoto blurted out.

"Makoto, please. Those two little kids are going faster than we are. One of them looks like she's four. Now keep your knees bent and I'll do the rest."

Gou managed to take Makoto around the rink a few times, although there was a little bit of stumbling and lots of laughs along the way. Even though he was unable to get the hang of it, Makoto had fun. He was also very elated seeing Gou smile and laugh so much.

They took a break from skating and then went out in the stands where people sat and watched people skate. Still embarrassed, Makoto heaved a sigh. "I'm so sorry that I didn't let you know that I couldn't skate. I figured it would be easy like roller-blading."

Gou faced Makoto, a smile still evident on her face. "You dork, it's no problem at all! Plus, it is a big difference. Believe me."

Makoto chuckled along with her but then stopped to look at her carefully. "You are having fun, right?"

"Of course! This was so fun! Actually, I couldn't believe I skated better than you. Just saying." She said with a grin.

He playfully thumped her shoulder. "Whatever, you had more experience than I did."

"Ha! So what is next on the agenda?"

"You'll see."

* * *

"I am so full, ugh." Gou announced, patting her tummy. After there was no incidents at the restaurant they went to, Makoto and Gou were now walking towards the park. "That cheesecake hit the spot though."

"It sure did! It was perfect." Makoto said, grinning down at Gou.

It was already getting dark for the evening, with the Christmas lights beginning to turn on, shining brightly.

Gou was captivated by the lights, gazing all around with wonder. "It's so beautiful, it's like a winter wonderland!"

Makoto chuckled. "Yes, that's exactly it!" He led both of them to a bench and sat down, enjoying the scenery. He glanced down at Gou. "Um, so…how are you feeling?"

Gou looked up at him and smiled. "I'm good. A whole lot better than before, Makoto, thank you for everything."

Grinning, Makoto reached a hand out to push back some strands of Gou's hair behind her ear. "You're welcome, Gou. Anything for you."

Gou's face heated up and she looked down in her lap. "I'm glad Chigusa didn't tell you."

"She was really adamant about it."

"I thank her for that. Makoto, only people that are close to me will know this and obviously, you're pretty close to me in my life now." She took a deep breath. "A few years ago, when I was in high school, my mother took her life."

Makoto's eyes widened, an audible gasp escaped his lips. "I-I'm so-"

Gou put her hand up. "I know what you're going to say. Thank you."

"Can I ask why?"

Gou looked straight ahead, her eyes distant. "Depression. Ever since my father passed away when I was young, I think. I've watched her when she wasn't looking and I noticed how hard she tried to keep a smiling, joyous face for me and my onii-chan. However when she thought no one was looking, her face had no emotion. Almost like she was vacant, her body was there but her mind wasn't. It increased whenever my onii-chan left to Australia when I was barely starting junior high school. I tried every day to cheer her up, but there was nothing I could do. I just helped her move on with each passing day. It was going well for a while until I barely started by first year of high school. I had come home from school one day with the lights all off in the house. It was weird, since my mom would usually cook dinner around the time I came home. I searched around the house for her until I went into her room. When I went in there…" Gou took a shuddering breath. "She was lying face down on the floor, an empty pill bottle next to her. I was hysterical. Once the ambulance came and took her to the hospital, there was no saving her. If I had come home earlier…" Gou buried her face into her hands, sobbing.

Makoto instantly pulled Gou into his chest, rubbing her back. "Let it out. You can cry here."

"If-if I was there in time…I-"Gou continued saying.

Makoto pulled back to look into Gou's eyes. "Hey. It's not your fault. It never was. You need to get that negativity out of your head because it was no one's fault. Okay?"

She blindly gazed at him, nodding her head. "I-I understand."

He gently pulled her back into his embrace, softly caressing her hair. "It's okay to let it all out. I'm here."

* * *

"I'm sorry for getting snot on your scarf."

Makoto rolled his eyes. "Really, Gou? That's the least of my worries."

Makoto held onto Gou's hand while they walked back to her dorm. Gou was embarrassed that she had cried that much in front of Makoto but he had made her feel better. That's what mattered the most to her.

"So that's why I've been feeling down lately. Tomorrow is the anniversary of my mother's death."

"I see. I completely understand. If you ever need to talk, you know I'm always here for you, Gou."

She smiled, rose color cascading her cheeks. "Thank you, Makoto. Thank you so much for everything." She said, squeezing his hand.

They walked up to her dorm room and stood in front of the door to say their goodbyes. "Oh, Makoto?"

"Yes?"

"Did you want to come with me to visit my mom's grave?"

What she said completely took him off guard. "What? Really? Are you sure?"

Gou nodded. "I'm definitely sure. Chigusa will come along as well, so don't worry! See you tomorrow."

"Ah, see you tomorrow."

* * *

_Hi, mom. It's Gou. How are you and dad? I hope you both are doing all right. I'm fine, I've been working and going to school. Oh! I've been keeping up my grades, so it's okay. Chigusa is here to pay her respects, you know she's always here for me. Today, though, I have one more guest. I brought my boyfriend, Makoto. I know you both would love him, he is too good for me. Onii-chan mentioned in an email he would try to visit, but his pro training is too strenuous. I hope you continue to watch over me and onii-chan. I love you both._

Gou unclasped her hands after praying and looked over at Chigusa and Makoto. They were still praying, causing Gou to smile wholeheartedly. They finished and turned towards Gou.

Chigusa came up to Gou to hug her. "I told her that I'll be taking care of you as always, my little nugget."

"Chigusa, pleaseeee." She released her hold on her. "Thank you, though."

"I said the same thing as well. Right after I introduced myself though." Makoto nervously chuckled.

Gou giggled before hugging him. "Don't worry, I know she would have loved you."

"Gou?"

Suddenly Gou pulled back, looking over at the new voice.

"Onii-chan?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite how angsty it was. Please let me know what you think!
> 
> P.S. So, I am in a bit of a pickle. A big pickle. So yeah, my parents and I are literally dirt poor. We’ve always been since I can remember but at this point we’re barely surviving. My mom is on disability, that’s her income, and my dad’s income was cut in half because me and my mom are now under his insurance. We. Are. Struggling. How? Because of are living plus my mom’s doctor appointments/medicines/upcoming major surgery + inpatient rehabilitation. I’m my mom’s caregiver, a full-time student and I work a minimum wage job; I feel like I’m not doing enough. Everyone sees me with all smiles but inside, I’m barely breathing. Obviously it’s due to my anxiety taking over (since I can’t afford my medication at the moment) but I’m serious. I feel like I’m not doing enough for my family and I want to do what I can to help. I just need your help too.
> 
>  
> 
> I’m going to start doing commissions, in small prices, whether traditional art (paintings, drawings, comics) or fanfics (drabbles, oneshots, multi-shot). If you do not want any of these, I encourage you to donate, even it’s just a dollar. Please. If you can’t do that, can you at least share this information for others to help? I didn’t even want to get to this point to tell people how bad we’re struggling.
> 
>  
> 
> Paintings (Acrylic):
> 
> -I specialize in surrealistic portraits
> 
> Doesn’t matter which size, it’s going to be $2 + another $2 for shipping and handling.
> 
>  
> 
> Drawings (Pencil, pen, color pencils)
> 
> -Rough drawing/Line-art $1
> 
> -Colored penciled in $2
> 
> -Comics (Done in ink pen, monochrome style) $1 a page
> 
> -Logos $1
> 
> Fanfiction (drabbles, one-shots, multi-shots)
> 
> -All $1.
> 
> If not, please donate, even if it’s a $1.
> 
> For details of what you want, please email me at deleonvicki@sbcglobal.net
> 
> My PayPal-deleonvicki@sbcglobal.net
> 
> I will close commissions once I get too much to handle or if I run out of supplies. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you so much for your support and I hope you have a wonderful day.


	8. Hiatus.

Hey guys. I'm sorry I hadn't updated in so long. If you didn't know, my mom had been in the hospital for three months and I was there with her 24/7. It had been stressful and I couldn't really do anything. I had to quit my job and take off a semester of school. She had been discharged two weeks ago and since then, I've been my mom's caregiver/nurse 24/7 as well. Soooo because of all this, I haven't gotten any inspiration of upcoming chapters for this story. Maybe it's because it's in a college au setting so when I go back to school next semester, I'm sure something will come to me. However I have something in mind with my new story, "Didn't Know You", because it has a supernatural element than the college setting. I'm also going to include some medical things because I had learned a tremendous amount of things being in the hospital for three months. So please, bear with me as I gather my thoughts and try to come back to this story. I promise, I will not give it up, I just need time.

Also, if you want to know more about what happened to my mom AND if you care to donate, please visit here: gofundme(.)com/zw5ypk

We're still struggling, especially after everything that happened. If you can not donate, please share the link. Share my story. Please.

Thank you everyone for your support. Please keep us in your thoughts/prayers.


	9. Update-discontinue

> Hello guys. Sorry it's been so long.
> 
> Long story short, I've been busy. I spent the whole year being my mom's caregiver until September 14th, 2016 my mom passed away. It's been very hard and I'm still grieving. I still keep myself busy, especially my art. I also went back to work and I start school again in a bit.
> 
> I don't think I can continue this story anymore. Don't really have the drive for it anymore. Maybe if I get inspiration in the future, but I can't promise anything right now.
> 
> I just wanted to thank you guys for continuing to read this and others that read my other fics, just thank you.
> 
> Maybe I'll be able to do something in the future; I've been focusing more on my art and very very slowly I'm turning my fic High Tides into a webcomic.
> 
> But anyways, thank you. 3

**Author's Note:**

> So as I hope you can tell, I have the same job as Gou. But I'm not a work-study person anymore, I got a promotion to a higher position!
> 
> Let me know what you think, I honestly hope you enjoyed it so far. :D


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